Suggestion needed: RTF templates

[mchiuminatto]

Hi Forum

I need to generate use case documentation in a format impossed by the customer wich is completly different in styles and seccion sequence than RTF doc generated by EA as is.

So I need to find a way to customize templates or doc generation in a way that EA generates the customer format.

I'm startig to explore, creating templates, but I think I have to  know the RFT specification to be able to do that.

Other alternative I will explore is with automation.

I will appreciate a lot if anybody have any suggestion or experience to comment.

Thanks in advanced

[TrtnJohn]

I still believe MS Word is the best tool for fully documenting Use cases.  I only use EA for the diagrams.

[mchiuminatto]

Okay, but the problem is that the customer wants a tool to support all the specification activities and I'm trying to make they buy EA, so we (me and my bank account) believe that must be a way  to pull the model elements out to a RTF doc in a customized format.

So we need some guidance to explore the simplest way to do it.

[ryanc]

I've been looking for a way to do this as well.  It looks like they give you a way to customize how each little section is displayed but yes you need to understand the RTF file format.  Not pretty right now!

I was hoping there would be a way to create a template and you could just drag and drop the different elements that EA would spit out into a format and layout that you would want.  

I'm not finding it.  

It looks like the suggested way is to create a Word document that has the layout you want.  EA creates bookmarks (from what I can tell) in their RTF documents and you could just link to the bookmarks you want in your Word document from the RTF document.  

I feel that is a descent approach as most people probably have a lot of other information in their documentation besides what a tool like this would spit out.  Howver, it would be nice to be able to layout how the sections are ordered and displayed.  

[mchiuminatto]

ryanc

Thanks for your reply.

I've realized that Sparx has an Automation Interface demo that generates word documents. I will try that application. You can download it too at:

http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/AutIntVBDownload.htm

I will let you know if it worked or not.

Maybe someone else has tryed this app. before and have some experiece to comment.

[ryanc]

Let me know if this works out for you and how you did it.  I haven't looked into the API they provide.  I was hoping there was a more elegant approach.  If it works though it might be worth checking into.

[Dani]

Interestingly I am about to embark in the same process. I also came to the conclusion that modifying the report generation add-in that uses the automation interface is the way to go. I couldn't be bothered diving into the rtf gobbledygook to be quite honest.

[thomaskilian]

Marcello,
I used this tool for a while but it's quite complex (and not bug free). I also went into detail with RTF tokens (not really funny).

AFAIK Sparx is working on an improvement for RTF formatting. So I anxiously wait for that.

[mchiuminatto]

Hi Dani and Thomas.

Dani, I agree with you, and right now I'm starting to build an add-in to generate the use case documentation in the required format. I will try to do it as reusable as I can in one week.

Thomas, I hope the improvement comes soon, but I have one week to provide EA with the capability to generate the docs as required by my customer, so as you can see I cannot wait for EA 4.51

One of the requirements is the capability to show screens in element scenario descriptions (obviously in the generated document). I know I know, use cases should not include UI details, and I warn my customer about it, but they have their documentation standard and they will not change it.

So as you can see I do not have many options (and time) but to build the add-in.

Thank you both for the reply

[Dani]

Another thing I considered is to post process the generated rtf via Word macros. Maybe a combination of Automation interface + post processing is what's needed.

[SammyC]

Hi,

I have been told by Sparxs that the new version is due the end of the month. Obviously they didn't state which month so I personally am hoping it will be January as I too have a similar issue!

My need is to be able to stick the alias text on the same line as a use case label. I.e.:
Use case XYZ : Alias Req-1234

so it appears in a TOC but I can't see how to do it.

Good luck fella!

[mikewhit]

How odd - I've just come up against this in the last 5 minutes, and behold! there's a new Sparx forum post on the subject !

What I was thinking of was a WYSIWYG RTF template view which pops up a simple "virtual document" when you have the RTF Style editor dialog open, so you can hack the RTF row in question and immediately see the effect.

Better still, edit the virtual doc, and it converts your hacking into the required RTF ...

But there has to be a more friendly way to specify document formats, without becoming an RTF guru :-(

[mchiuminatto]

Dani

I will try Automation to implement all document generation. But I will keep in mind macros, just in case, thanks for the advice.

SammyC

Try this in your template (.dot)

1. Define a line with text: <usecase name>: <use case alias>

2. Apply Heading Style as you want

3. Select the text <usecase name> and tne Insert a bookmark called uc_name

4. Then select the text <use case alias> the add a bookmark calles uc_alias

4. In your vbcode, select a Range corresponding to the uc_name bookmark, then assign the use case name to the text property of that range

5. do the same with uc_alias.

Hope it helps.